Places to go, people to see. May 24 2014

After a few days of the stomach flu, I’m happy to report that I’m back to my non-flu-infested self. While sulking and sick, I did manage to find a great treasure trove of magic on the Internet. (Many thanks for my Facebook pals for suggestions and words of comfort.) Part III of my essay, “The Choice of Children,” will go up on Tuesday, May 27; Light Gets In will officially debut on June 2; my birthday is also coming up — June 8 — and I’m trying to whip together some variety of festivities for a small gathering of friends.

I’m also bursting with pride due to this blurb:

In this stunning collection of essays, Esmé reveals how she moves about her days, living with schizoaffective disorder. It is a must-read for anyone, as this beautiful book ultimately speaks to humanity and hope.

I recently watched a talk from artist Lisa Congdon, where she noted that while people will appreciate and love your art, they’ll connect to your humanity. Esmé’s book will stay with me precisely because of its — and her — tenderness, compassion, courage and sincerity. — Margarita Tartakovsky, Associate Editor at PsychCentral, writer at Weightless

“The truth is that, in worldly terms, someone is always doing better than you are. Someone is always winning more of the prizes or making more of the money or getting more famous.” This week was one of dashed hopes. A friend comforted me by passing along Charles Baxter’s 2006 Hopwood lecture — made all the more poignant to me because I have been to those Hopwood awards, and I know how wonderful and terrible the whole enterprise is. But it’s a good read for anyone — particularly writers — who has ever experienced so-called failure.

I am in awe over Abby Kerr’s new iteration of The E-Letter Atelier sales page. Not only have I signed up for the class itself — one of my top Strengths, according to the StrengthsFinder assessment, is Input — but I’ve also been studying the elegantly written page itself, which is a refreshing example of selling with authenticity and smarts. Full disclosure: I’m an affiliate for this, but I was promoting the class out of sheer enthusiasm before becoming one.

I don’t usually read all of the comments to any blog post, especially when the number rises above 100, but this piece about Spades (“This fool put SUGAR in her sister in law’s gas tank. Over SPADES!!! All sorts of humanity is lost when one sits down and plays spades. People lose ALL behavior.”) was hilarious and educational. I grew up with some serious card-playing in my home (my folks had a full-sized Craps table in the garage), but it was nothing compared to this.

I really do appreciate being able to read about the process that you and Abby have gone through in going your separate ways. I mentioned it briefly on Twitter, but I’m still interested in writing something about Abby’s Uncoupling piece. Looking forward to our call! xE

Thank you, Amanda. Your recent piece about #yesallwomen was powerful — I’ve identified as a feminist ever since I learned what a feminist was (in third grade) — and I can’t even imagine how difficult it is to raise girls today. Or, really, in any time. From where I stand, I think you’re doing an amazing job.

About Esmé

Esmé Weijun Wang is an award-winning writer and advocate. At The Unexpected Shape, she provides resources that assist ambitious people who live with limitations, allowing them to develop both resilience and mastery on the path to building a legacy. Her debut novel, The Border of Paradise, is now available for purchase.

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